Out of Service
by Discretion Assured
Summary: During a not-date in the city, Lincoln and Ronnie Ann's plans get interrupted by the failure of public transport. One-shot.


Normally, Lori had always brought Lincoln along when she visited Bobby so he had a chance to see Ronnie Anne. But when she'd moved into the city to live with Bobby, he'd lost that ride. Not that there weren't other ways to get to the city- he could easily get a bus ticket. The problem was, his parents didn't want him going out on his own like that and insisted he needed a chaperone. Since Lori had her classes and a part-time job now, she wouldn't be able to look after him. Leni and Luna had already moved out and started on their careers, so they weren't an option. Luan would've been acceptable, but Lincoln hadn't been able to bargain for enough of her time to play chaperone. Lynn? No, just no.

So, over a full year passed without Lincoln or Ronnie Anne visiting the other. They did keep in touch online though, and it was through that line of communication that they schemed up a way to finally arrange another visit. Lincoln managed to convince them he could manage a bus ride on his own, but it was up to Ronnie Anne to convince both her aunt and grandmother to accept the chaperone role and reassure the Loud parents on as much.

Two years ago, when Lori had Lincoln to the city, they'd been allowed to roam with Ronnie Anne. But now that they were both 13, officially teenagers, rules bizarrely became harsher.

But through enough litigation (and Lincoln buying himself a new suit), arranging phone calls between adults, and good old fashioned begging, they got an agreement. As long as an adult from Ronnie Anne's family was at the bus station to receive him and to take him back at the end of the day, he could go.

Oh, and as long as they didn't go anywhere by themselves. Or close any doors. Just a bunch of general conditions that made the two teens shake their heads in embarrassment. But they'd take it.

And so, one early Saturday morning, Ronnie Anne found herself waiting outside the Great Lakes City bus terminal with her Aunt Frida. It would've been either her aunt or her grandma; one of them had to stay back and watch Ronnie Anne's cousins. It wasn't really much a matter of preference when she knew either would embarrass her and Lincoln.

Which ended up being pointless since Lincoln embarrassed himself the moment he stepped of the bus. "Pfft." Ronnie Anne blew air out through her lips when she saw him walking towards them. He'd gotten himself all styled up: Black jeans,a nice blue jacket, and it looked like he had his hair greased back. She'd told him to look nice so he didn't embarrass her if someone saw them walking around. It'd been a joke, and he'd known it. So she guessed he did it to mess with her. Idiot.

He did look pretty good though.

"Ooh, your boyfriend is so handsome!" Frida lifted her camera and snapped off a few pics.

"He's not my boyfriend." Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes and walked forward to meet him. "Hey Lincoln." They bumped fists. "You look stupid."

"And you look like a girl." She was a long beige skirt and blouse. Not her choice of fashion, but they were Christmas presents and her family had not so subtly pushed her to wear them today, so her hands were kind of tied. She still gave him a knock on the shoulder for the come back

"Yeah, yeah, come on." She grabbed his arm and started pulling him after her. "Enough with the pictures." She begged her aunt. She'd probably snapped a dozen during the little interaction they'd just had.

It was only about twenty minutes from the bus station back to the Santiago bodega and residence. The two teens sat in the back of Frida's car, in the window seats while leaving the space between them clearly empty.

While they were being driven, Lincoln started slowly creeping his hand across the leather seat towards Ronnie Anne's. When it got close enough, she made a fist with her own and brought it down on the intruding limb. "Ow!" Lincoln recoiled his arm, holding his wrist while checking for damage.

"It wasn't that hard." Ronnie Anne snorted. When Lincoln set his hand down again, she reached over and grabbed. Neither looked at each other, but their hands remained entwined over the middle seat for the rest of the journey. In the front seat, Frida had to try her hardest to remember photography while driving was illegal.

When they got to the apartment, for Lincoln's benefit, the welcome party was much smaller. Ronnie Anne's uncle had gone to a conference in another state, her grandfather and brother were manning the Bodega downstairs, her mother was at work, and Carlota had moved on to college in the past few years. Her grandmother and three of her cousins were there though: CJ, Carlino, and Carlitos. That was enough of a mob welcome for Lincoln.

"Heeey Lincoln." He bumped fists with CJ.

"Nice threads." Carlino made a finger guns gesture. "If you're trying to woo my cousin, I got some advice for you." Behind Lincoln, Ronnie Anne cocked her fist and Carlino flinched. He found refuge behind his grandmother, Rosa Casagande.

"Ooh, what a handsome young man your boyfriend's becoming!" The short Spanish woman said as she got a good look at Lincoln.

"He's not-"

"She's not-"

"Come, come!" The elderly woman insisted, ignoring the two's attempt to refute. "I made lunch!"

"We're not." Both muttered but followed her anyway. 'Lunch' in the mind of Rosa Casagrande was what most other people would call a feast. Lincoln wasn't going to complain though. He never got serving his big at home. Ronnie Anne ate a portion for herself and ended up waiting impatiently for Lincoln to have his fill before she could pull him away. They went to her room, and for the first time in over a year the two of them were finally alone and in person.

"You...uh...really do look nice in those clothes." He broke the ice.

"Pfft." Ronnie Anne crossed her arms. "I hate these clothes." She gave him a shove out of the room. "I'm going to change into something else. Wait for me." She closed the door, leaving Lincoln standing there. He leaned against the wall and tried to seem busy, looking at the zipper of his jacket. The jeans and polo get up, he'd grown out of. He was trying new things. It wasn't really that stupid, was it?

The bedroom door opened and Ronnie Anne came back out. The only thing she'd actually changed was out of the skirt and into a pair of jean shorts. "Those look good too." Was Lincoln's response. The Latina rolled her eyes before they darted to something down the hall. Lincoln turned around just in time see her grandmother pull back from peeking around a corner.

"Man, that's annoying." Ronnie Anne sighed as she went back into her room. Lincoln followed. "Have your parents been jumping down that throat? My family will barely let me go anywhere." She told him as she sat down on her bed.

"Not really." Lincoln sat down beside her. "I still hang out with my friends every day."

"Lucky you. I don't know what got them worked up, but my grandparents got to my mom. I got a curfew now and everything." Her brow furled and she leaned forward on her bed to see out the door. Lincoln imitated the gesture, and they caught Ronnie Anne's grandmother peeking down the hallway _again_. She retreated, probably thinking she hadn't been caught.

"Being a teenager really sucks. Adults act like you're a runaway waiting to happen."

"I get that at home too." Lincoln nodded. "My sisters won't even let me bring over any friends that are girls." Clyde, Rusty, Zach, and the others? No problem. But the one time Stella had been with the rest of them, that was when they'd thrown a fit.

Did Ronnie Anne's eyes narrow just then? Something seemed off in the air.

"I guess I'm lucky they let me come here in the first place." He suggested. "Even if it's with all these rules."

"Yeah, all those dumb rules." Ronnie Anne agreed. "They think we're going to start sucking face if they leave us alone for five seconds. As if." She added dismissively, ignoring the bit of red going to her cheeks.

"Y-yeah." Lincoln stuttered. "That first time was so gross." Oh yeah, that double date Lori and Bobby had forced them on. Where the whole boyfriend-girlfriend-but-not-really thing came from. Actually, that might have been the reason the adults didn't trust them- there was a precedence. Kind of hypocritical when they kept calling them boyfriend and girlfriend.

Boy, there was an awkward silence now. Ronnie Anne was the one to broke it.

"Come on, I found a spot we can hang out for the day. There's a new aquarium on the other side of the city. Admission is pretty cheap." She stood up and grabbed a piece of paper off her desk and a jacket off the back of a chair.

"Didn't they say we couldn't go anywhere?"

"So? You really want to be stuck here all day?"

"No." He shook his head and stood up. This was his first visit in over a _year_. Of course he wanted to do something. And it really was stupid. They weren't going to get into any trouble.

"Just let me do the talking, okay?" She told him. "I've gotten out of this house plenty of times before. Come on." She strolled out of the room and Lincoln followed. "We're going to hang out with Bobby downstairs!" She called out as they passed through the living room.

"Okay!" Frida called back, busy snapping pictures of Carlitos swaggering about in a clear imitation of Carlino.

"Don't bother the customers again!" Rosa called. Lincoln and Ronnie Anne exited the apartment and headed downstairs to the street. They dipped into the bodega for a quick moment.

"Lincoln! Hey bro." Bobby grabbed his hand enthusiastically. "How you been?"

"Good. How's Lori?"

"Oh, babe's doing great." Bobby nodded. Before the two boys could start prattling on, Ronnie Anne interrupted.

"Lame-o and me are heading to that souvenir shop down by the stadium. Grandma already gave us permission." She lied.

"Okay." Bobby didn't think anything of what his little sister told him. "You guys be careful."

"Uh huh." She grabbed Lincolns elbow and pulled him out of the bodega. "See?" She asked him. "It was that easy."

"Will that really work?" He asked.

"Yeah. My grandpa and Bobby don't leave the Bodega till closing time. My grandma and aunt are paying all their attention to Carlitos these days. They won't notice. This is my home turf, Lincoln, relax."

It was only a few blocks to one of the many subway stations that dotted the city. Ronnie Anne spent several minutes looking between a station map and the piece of paper she'd brought with her before figuring out where they needed to go. They got their tickets and embarked. Unlike his oldest sister, Lincoln had never rode the Great Lakes City subway. Just like his sister though, the novelty wore out quickly when he realized he was standing back to back with Ronnie Anne since there was no room for anything else.

Just for the heck of it, he started reaching back for her hand. This time she smacked it away and let it hang. Point taken. Not in public.

The train went along its route, stopping at the right stations along the way. Ronnie Anne would cran her neck at each stop to see if it was the one they were supposed to get off at before leaning back. The one thing both of them couldn't stop thinking about for the journey was the feeling of the other's hair tickling the back of their necks.

The train stopped at another station, and the doors opened to allow people to disembark. But no new people got on; the platform was deserted. And the doors didn't close after the normal amount of time either. People were starting to notice and wonder.

Then the intercom came on, announcing that due to a fire, several lines would be shut down for the rest of the day. The train was now out of order and everyone was ordered to disembark. This was all followed by a standard basic apology for the inconvenience, which didn't stop the sudden out pour of yelling, complaining, and swearing as now everyone was trying to get off now.

"_Mierda_." Ronnie Anne muttered under her breath. "Come on." She grabbed Lincoln's hand and pulled him off the train with the rest of the crowd. Even then, the two teens got bumped around a lot.

"Do we wait till they fix it?" Lincoln asked.

"It takes them months to fix anything on the subway." Ronnie Anne answered. When they got to the wider part of the subway, she pulled him over a big, faded wall map showing the entire system. The more she looked it, the more agitated she seemed to get to the brought she rubbed her knuckles furiously on the top of her head.

"So...where are we?" Lincoln asked.

"About 10 miles from the bodega." She answered flatly. "In a part of town I don't even know." She admitted. "I don't know how to get back from here."

"Can't we just get a taxi?" Lincoln asked, his voice cracking a bit.

"They're not allowed to stop for kids. It's some...stupid ordinance the city passed." Ronnie Anne sighed. "It's fine. We're fine. I'll just call my grandma. She'll either come get us or send my aunt." She pulled out her phone and hung her head back. "She's going to be pissed." She blew out a breath of air and then hit the icon under contacts.

She didn't want Lincoln hearing the conversation, so she raised a hand for him to stay put while she walked a short distance away. But even from a distance, he could tell it wasn't good. She kept her head bowed throughout the whole 5 minute conversation. When she came back over, she looked pretty sour.

"Well, she's coming to get us." Ronnie Anne kicked an empty soda cup by her feet to let off steam. They'd already been in the car and speeding off by the time the call ended. They were probably already halfway here. "And she's pretty ticked off." She slouched past him. "Just great..." She muttered. First their plans get ruined twice over, now this. They'd be lucky if another visit was allowed after this.

"It's not that bad." Lincoln tried to be optimistic after the two walked over and collapsed into some old wood benches. "This was still fun."

"It was just a train ride. I know Royal Woods was boring, but it wasn't that boring." She started to fidget in her seat. "Ugh, there's something on this seat." She got up to find another one, only to discover the entire row had something wrong with. "You just had to grab the one good seat?" She asked. He made as if to stand up. "Don't." She stopped him. She sat down on his legs, on the edge of his knees. Not his lap though; that'd be awkward.

"Uhh..." Lincoln wasn't sure what to think at first.

"Don't make this weird." His not-girlfriend warned. "I just needed a place to sit. You should be glad." Ronnie Anne added after a pause. "I'm protecting you from anyone who will want to mess with you."

"Why would anyone mess with me?" Lincoln asked. Oh geez. Ronnie Anne wondered if it was worth explaining to the kind-hearted boy about the err... 'demographics' of a big city. Yeah, there were a lot of nice people in this city, but there were always assholes too, of all stripes. The kind that might take offense at two 'different' kids like them looking like they were together.

Which they were not, by the way. _Yet_.

"I think this is just a high crime area." Ronnie Anne lied. Or did she? It might have been true. Great Lakes City wasn't ranked high in the nation in that department, but it wasn't ranked really low either. Lincoln was craning his neck around, looking for anyone that might have been trouble. But the station was mostly deserted, everyone having gotten above ground to try and get to their destinations another way. It was just a few people like them waiting for some other means to arrive. They were practically alone, for the first time this visit.

Lincoln wondered if this was the time to start making moves. Ronnie Anne's right hand was dangling at her side, right next to his knee. Like in the car, he crept his own hand up towards her's. She didn't notice till he'd grabbed it. "That scared, huh?" She teased him.

"You know..." Lincoln started probing. "I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but a lot of guys in the middle school back in Royal Woods have girlfriends." She turned around to face him. "It won't get you made fun of anymore."

"Oh yeah?" Ronnie Anne raised an eyebrow at him.

"Y-yeah." Lincoln stuttered. "So...uh...I mean..." He was tripping over his words and getting increasing redder. That was the reason for the faux together thing- Lincoln had been getting mocked. Now that he wouldn't be, he was interested in getting into that experience. And well, there was something here with Ronnie Anne, wasn't there? He knew his denial in front of adults wasn't completely true. It went both ways.

Right? It was always hard to tell exactly what Ronnie Anne thought though. He was trying to not try too hard just in case he had to backpedal.

She lifted one of her legs and pivoted, putting it down on Lincoln's other side. She was still sitting on his knees, but now she was facing him with a smirk on her face. "Spit it out, lame-o." But even her voice shook a little.

"I thought you uh...could be my _girlfriend_." He said the last part quietly. Ronnie Anne blew air out her nose. Then she reached out and pushed his head back with hand while she used her other arm to hide whatever expression was on her face. "Ow." Lincoln complained as his neck started to hurt. She let up.

"Was that really your attempt at flirting?"

"...Yes."

"It was lame." She turned to look around the station, finding it again mostly deserted. "Just what I expected from you. I should've guessed when I saw those clothes." Well, she hadn't punched him yet, so things were looking good.

From Ronnie Anne's point of view, she was having fun watching his expression. So hopeful. So harmless. She could mess with him. Draw out her response. Pretend to considering it.

Nah.

"On one condition, lame-o: you have to be my boyfriend." Okay, just a small way to screw with him.

"Deal!" His enthusiasm turned to surprise when she scooched forward. Now she _was_ sitting in his lap. Then she leaned down and pressed her lips against his, and he returned the affection fully, throwing his arms around her back. She moved her own arms behind his head. This was the second time they'd ever done anything like this.

It felt better now, somehow.

WHAP! Something smacked across the top of both their heads and they broke apart. WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! Whatever it was, it was alternating between both their heads now. Both teens shouted and tried to swat away the unseen force that was assaulting them. And shouting in Spanish.

Oh wait, that was Ronnie Anne's grandmother with a rolled up newspaper. She'd gotten here fast. Dang, right when they were having the most fun. Despite being a very short woman, Rosa Casagrande was very stout, and had no problem grabbing two teens taller than her by the ears and pulling her after her out of the station. Their complaints of pain and embarrassment fell on deaf ears as strangers watched and laughed to themselves.

The rest of the idle family members were waiting in a car on the street- Frida in the front seat with Carlitos, and CJ and Carlino in the backseat. That's where Lincoln and Ronnie Anne got shoo'd to, on opposite sides with the two boys between both of them. Carlino noticed the embarrassed looks on their face and made a sly knowing smirk. Before he could say anything though, Ronnie Anne intimidated him into submission with another cocked fist. That ensured silence for the whole car ride back.

Having justified the adults' paranoia, they weren't given enough rope to hang themselves a second time. The rest of the visit was spent playing video games in the living room where an eye could be kept on them. After their last adventure though, it wasn't so bad. They didn't give the adults the satisfaction of listening in on any conversations either.

The agreement was that Lincoln caught a 4 o' clock bus back to Royal Woods- that would put him back home just a few hours before bed. Frida volunteered to be the one to see him off. Surprisingly, she asked if Ronnie Anne wouldn't to come see her boyfriend off at the bus station.

Again, hypocrites.

Obviously she accepted. And this time she was one who crept her hand across the back seat during the drive. And once they got to the bus station, her aunt hung back far enough to let them have a few private words.

"I'm pretty sure my parents are going to know what happened by the time I get back." Lincoln scratched the back of his head. "I don't think they'll let me do this again."

"And I'm pretty sure mine family's been waiting for you to go home so they can lecture me." Ronnie Anne said sourly. "But hey," she punched his shoulder. "It was fun." Well, one part was fun and the rest was padding, but it was enough to make the rest worth it. "And there's still online."

"Yeah." Lincoln tried to stay hopeful. Maybe this would all blow over. His parents were the forgiving type. Very forgiving, even, considering the havoc he and his siblings got up to. But a resolution to this required two parties to forgive.

"Just in case we gotta wait another year to see each other," Ronnie Anne stuck her hands in her short pockets, "anything you want to do while we're still here?"

"Uh..." Lincoln tried to think.

"I'm telling you to make a move, Lincoln." She specified. Oh. He could do that. He grabbed her arm and pulled him toward her to kiss her. An arm around each others back, their other hands clasped in the air, and Ronnie Anne was even lifting her leg. Just like the first time they'd done this, only this time it felt even better.

Their romantic moment was interrupted but Ronnie Anne's aunt making an unrestrained squeal loud enough to startle everyone in a 30 feet radius before rapidly snapping off photos while looking she was literally about to fall over from excitement. Lincoln and Ronnie Anne broke apart, and he got to see the look of wonder on his girlfriend's face snap to annoyance in a mere blink.

"I better make sure she doesn't pass out. Again." Ronnie Anne took a step back. "See you online when you get back?"

"See you online when I get back." Lincoln nodded. They bumped fists. And they ended their 1 year reunion closer than they'd started it.


End file.
